Illini surge into next round along with raucous fan base

"We've done it the hard way a lot this year," said Illini coach John Groce. "I'm proud of our guys for their resiliency. In that situation, a lot of guys would crack. I thought our guys continued to show a lot of poise."

March Madness isn't about style points. Fans don't care about prolonged slumps, just as long as their team is still alive in the bracket at game's end. Just ask the LaSalle Explorers, who went 3 of 18 from the field in the second and still managed to eliminate the Kansas State Wildcats in Kansas City.

Speaking of fans, no school is better represented this weekend than Illinois, and the Illini needed every ounce of energy from their fan base to overcome an arid start to the second half. This game was all about runs. Illinois had a 13-0 spurt to end the first half, then Colorado opened the second half with its surge while Illinois slept. The final run was the one that counted the most and now the Illini fan base is in search of bigger game.

statesman.com